On a beautiful kick-off to the summer season, Orange County residents came out to honor America’s soldiers last Monday. Port Jervis held a parade with veterans and enlisted men taking center stage. The Port Jervis high school band provided patriotic music and children waved and saluted.
The historic village of Montgomery hosted a parade, then residents gathered at Veterans Memorial Park for a short ceremony and refreshments. The Gettysburg Address was recited and the national anthem was sung.
New Windsor was the last encampment of the Continental Army. It is where officers gathered and were close to mutiny. Washington arrived unannounced, pulled out his glasses, and said, “You must pardon me, for I have grown not only gray but blind in the service of my country.” The mutiny never happened. It was there that Washington ordered the establishment of the Badge of Merit, today known as the Purple Heart.
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